


Inside The Flame

by BNC



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Canon Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-09 21:50:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15276924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BNC/pseuds/BNC
Summary: Inspired by 5x09 when Madi takes the flame. Madi meets all the previous commanders, including her favourite of all. Lexa.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Im one of those people who just cant let Lexa die, the second i saw Madi got the flame and the many mentions of Lexa, this wrote itself. I figured i might as well publish it. Depending on how the next few episodes pan out with Madi and her new Heda status, i might continue to add onto this but i want it to remain as canon as possible so i wont be adding on anything until the episode airs.

The last thing I remember was the pain of the tentacles of the flame entering my neck. Gaia didn’t warn me it might hurt doing this. I screamed and the next thing I saw was dark.

“Madi” a woman’s voice called me in the darkness. I reached, trying to feel or see but nothing was there.

“Madi” the womans voice repeated this time closer. My sight began to adjust and it wasn’t dark anymore. I was in the same room as I was before with Gaia and Bellamy only this time they weren’t here. There was a woman standing in front of me. She reached out, smiling as she took my hands.

“I am Becca, pramheda, welcome to the flame” she said with a soft smile. She was pretty, dark hair, and a kindness in her eyes.

“Pramheda?” I asked in clarification. She nodded, helping me turn to face the line of people behind me. My eyes scanned over them in awe. There were about a dozen men and women, some as young as me, the eldest seemed to be Becca. They were all warriors, strong and wise. They were the previous acquirers of the flame. My eyes fell on the last, expecting to see Clarke only it wasn’t, it was Lexa. I'd know that face anywhere. I saw Clarke's notebook open on the page many times growing up the past six years. When i asked her why once, she told me it was so she wouldn't forget her face. Most of the others she drew, she knew would return to her one day but Lexa was gone and Clarke didnt want to forget what she looked like.

“Where is Clarke?” I asked Becca.

“Clarke, although hosted the flame, was never fully assimilated to its technology. It is only when a commander dies with it still in their system that they are fully uploaded into the flame. The flame was taken out of Clarke and she continued to live, thus never truly being here.” Becca explained but I hadn’t looked away from Lexa at the mention of Clarkes name. Lexa was staring at me but no emotion showed, as if she couldn’t hear me. I expected some sort of reaction, after all, Clarke had told me the stories of their love.

“Can I talk to them?” I asked Becca, none of the commanders had made a move towards me.

“You can do more than talk to us Madi. We’re here to help you, to advise you, to teach you and to guide you. We can give you access to any memories of our choosing, even when you’re awake, although you can’t talk to us unless you’re here.” Becca explained.

“Can I touch you?” I asked looking down to where my hand was being held by Becca.

“In a sense, yes. What happens in your mind is as real as you make it. Sometimes it takes a while for the flame to fully upload. The last inhibitor was Clarke and she skipped this step because she was too anxious to enter the city of light and destroy ALLIE.”

“So, they’re real?” I asked and as if I breathed life into them they all became less like statues and more like people. They began breathing and moving. I dropped Becca’s hand and ran to Lexa. My arms wrapping around her waist. I had no idea if she knew who I was but I knew who she was. As if she had read my every memory, her arms returned my embrace.

“Hello Madi” her voice whispered into my ear and it wasn’t like anything I imagined. I pulled away to smile up at her.

“It’s an honour to get to meet you Leksa kom trikru” I said in awe. The beautiful woman smiled back, a small smile, as if she wasn’t really used to smiling much. Of all the stories Clarke had told me, Lexa both terrified and inspired me. I would have given anything to meet the girl from Clarke’s stories. I felt more connected to Octavia’s story on a personal level since I was the girl under the floor too but Lexa was a revolutionary. I knew, even as a small child, there was no point in idolising a dead girl but seeing her in front of me and touching me, I knew I wanted to carry on her legacy. I remember listening in awe as Clarke told me of the peacemaker who unified warring factions and who brought skaikru into her coalition. Although my world was very different than hers was, I knew I wanted to be like her, someone who would fight to keep wonkru together. I wanted to be the commander to lead them to peace in the valley. Like she would have done if she was still alive now.

“I am glad my spirit chose wisely,” she winked.

“So you’re permanently in my head now?” I asked her for clarification, looking to the other commanders watching me. Some looked slightly angry that I had greeted Lexa with a hug, some looked happy, some looked confused. I knew the teachings of the commanders, I was showing weakness. But if I couldn’t show weakness in here, in my head, where no one living saw it, how could I ever lead in the real world by hiding it?

“You are correct Madi. Ignore the stares of your predecessors. Everyone can be weak at times. It is better to do it here, in the privacy of the flame than out there where your enemies can see. If your mother shared a bond with our latest heda, it is perfectly acceptable for you to gravitate towards her. Lexa was our greatest commander, she did what none of us could do in our lifetimes. It is natural to want to be more like her,” the commander next to Lexa said, it was another young girl, older than Lexa, perhaps by a few years. She was blonde, blue eyed. I smiled at her, although I didn’t move away from Lexa to greet any of the other commanders in the same way.

“Madi, this is Bria. The commander before me.” Lexa introduced us. I guessed since the Flame was still merging my mind I didn’t have any instant knowledge of these commanders like I thought I would.

“It doesn’t really work like that Madi, we know everything about you but we only give you wisdom when we think you need it. You will come to learn from each of us in your own way. We are still our own person within the Flame. We don’t share memories or lives, just this place to talk and advise. When you wake Madi, you will be required to recite the lineage. We will help you say our names in order” Becca said coming over to me. I nodded at her in understanding and turned back to Lexa.

“I have so many questions” I said specifically to her. She smiled again and took my hand in hers.

“We have time for those Madi. Right now, you need to get back to Clarke. You need to wake up” Lexa said to me, the worry of Clarke's fate clear in her voice.

“But how do I come back? Will you always be with me?” I asked, this time looking down the line of commanders. There were a few only a year or so older than me. They must have been heda for but a few months before they were killed.

“You meditate. Gaia could teach you, or even Clarke. She saw me do it enough times. Where ever you are we will appear in that room with you but you will be defenceless, so chose your timing wisely. We will also be in your dreams. Don’t worry strik won, we will have much time together.” Lexa assured me.

“But now I need to save Clarke,” I added.

“Yes, you do.” she said strongly and dropped my hand.

“How do I get back?” I asked them all.

“Just wake up” Becca said as if it was all that simple.

But she was right.

I opened my eyes to see Clarke in front of me, strapping me into the rover.

“Clarke” I murmured as I came to full consciousness.

“Hi! You’re okay.” She reassured me, her hand resting on my cheek in comfort. “I’m here” she added and before I could reply I noticed the guard behind cock his gun and aim it at Clarkes head. My eyes widened and Clarke must have sensed the danger because she spun around to look at the guard.

“No. No, please. We had a deal.”

_Madi, he is Joroum, from sangedakru, the son of Lisbeth. He was a trusted royal guard of mine. He will protect you if you prove you know him through me._ Lexa’s urgent voice filled my head.

“These are my orders. For blodreina.” the man announced aiming the gun at Clarkes head.

“Put the gun down Joroum,” I ordered the man. Clarke turned to look at me in shock.

“You are Joroum from Sangedakru, son of Lisbeth from sangedakru. You served with honour in the royal guard of Leksa kom trikru. You believed in her, now believe in me.”

Clarke turned to watch as the guard fell to his knees in worship.

“Heda,” he said in awe, seconds before Clarke shot a bullet into his head.

“Why did you do that?” I asked in panic

“You know why” Clarke said as she went to close the door of the rover.

“Clarke, if we run Octavia wins. Gaia, Indra and Bellamy will die.” I said urgently.

“They made their choice,” she said clouding her emotion and climbed into the seat next to me.

Before I knew it, we were driving off, away from Polis, and towards home.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This show is killing me with the mentions of Lexa. Here we go again.

“Madi,” I could hear Lexa’s voice but I couldn’t see her. Was it different when I was sleeping?

“Madi,” I heard her again, I reached and felt a hand, I managed to focus on it long enough for the white around me to fade into a room. It was the same room where I received the flame.

“Where are we?” I asked Lexa who was standing in front of me with a smile.

“This was the last default place you spoke to us in. When you’ve finished merging with the flame you will be able to chose where we appear, like when you first got the flame.” She explained helping me sit up. The room dissolved into the Polis throne room. Clarke had drawn it in her note book and I was always fascinated by it. Lexa smiled at me when the room changed into a place that was familiar to her.

“When Clarke told me the stories about you, she said this was the room where you bowed to her. Where your people became one. It meant everything to her back then,” I explained happy the flame was cooperating with my thoughts. Lexa lead me down the red carpet to the wooden throne on the steps.

“Then I suppose this is your throne,” she added and stepped down, leaving me a few feet above her and the other commanders. I frowned at her and walked to the chair picking it up and walking down the stairs. I placed it on the floor so it was on the same level as the other seats now surrounding us in a semi-circle. One for each of the commanders. Lexa smiled at me before turning to sit in the chair closest. I eyed the other commanders watching me as they took their seats.

“Do I get to learn your names now?” I asked them all. “Since I haven’t been able to recite the lineage to the flamekeeper yet I’d like to be prepared,” I said eyeing everyone watching me. They agreed, each of them saying their names one after the other. I thought they’d be easy to forget but once I knew them it was like the flame helped me to retain the information I had been given.

“Madi.” Becca began. “We’re very concerned about the current situation you are in,” she continued.

“Clarke is forcing you to flee. Madi, _commanders don’t run away_.” Bria said harshly. The other commanders agreed strongly to her statement.

“I don’t want to run away. I want to go back and help my friends,” I told them.

“And lead your people,” Commander Otto said from Becca’s side.

“How do I get her to take me back?” I asked turning to Lexa. She looked sympathetic.

“Clarke isn’t one for taking orders,” she said in return.

“Tell me about it,” I grinned and Lexa’s mouth twitched as if she was going to smile but didn’t. I stared at her for a moment. Really, Clarke’s drawings didn’t do her justice. She had an aura around her that commanded respect and devotion. I realised how easy it was for Clarke to love her.

“Thank you for helping me before, with Joroum. I’m sorry Clarke killed him,” I told her.

“It won’t always work like that. At some point you’ll just know things like that. You heard my voice because the Flame is still merging, it used my voice as a way to tell you what you needed to know. After a while the information will just be there for you. You’ll already know it. Hopefully you have the flame for a very long time and it becomes part of you. You will have our knowledge and wisdom without even a second thought.” Lexa explained.

“From what we have learnt of Clarke. It doesn’t surprise any of us that she did what she did. You must gain her trust Madi. She will be your greatest defender but she will also be your prison guard. She fears you will share the same fate as Lexa. She doesn’t want you to become her. But you must. For the good of our people” Bria said catching my attention. I looked from Bria to Lexa just for a moment. Her expression was hard to read. Could I channel Lexa enough for Clarke to stop and think? Would she understand if she knew I had a direct link to the woman she admired so greatly?

“Next time you sleep you will start to learn about us, specifically about our deaths. It’s important that you experience them. You need to learn from them, see how each of us died and make sure it doesn’t happen to you. Its how the flame merges with your mind. It will make you stronger” Commander Davor said.  The young man smiled at me sympathetically from Bria’s right.

“It starts with my death, and I’m afraid it only gets worse. You will experience them all like you were there. Do you understand?” Becca asked me. I nodded and looked nervously to Lexa.

“Even yours?” I asked Lexa. She looked at me for a moment before nodding.

“Even mine,” she clarified.

“I’m going to see Clarke” I stated as truth. Clarke hadn’t told me absolutely everything about Lexa, I knew that. I knew they loved each other. I knew Lexa died in her arms but I didn’t know much more other than it was a gunshot wound. She didn’t like to talk about it and for some reason the thought of seeing that moment felt like an invasion of Clarke’s privacy.

“You’ll see it from my point of view. Its quick. I promise. I’m sorry I can’t block out the pain but it’s important. It will help you understand why Clarke is the way she is. She fears for your life. She doesn’t want to lose you.”

“Like she did you,” I added.

“Yes. She’ll do anything to make sure you don’t die like I did. Anything,” Lexa told me. I nodded, I already knew that.

“You’re the reason she doesn’t want me to have the flame, your death ruined her. It’s six years later and the mere thought of you still haunts her. She went quiet every time she spoke about you. She still misses you now,” I said. I saw tears form in Lexa’s eyes but she quickly blinked them away. She didn’t have chance to reply because Commander Tia interrupted. She was one of the young ones, maybe thirteen or fourteen.

“Sorry to break up the heart to heart but Madi wake up!” She yelled at me. She reached for me and suddenly my eyes snapped open to see Clarke reaching across to my neck. It took me only a second to realise that she was trying to take the flame out of my head.

“Stop! Are you… no!” I screamed and reached for the door. I didn’t know how long I had been asleep but we were miles from Polis now. The urge to be with my people overcame me. Clarke couldn’t take the Flame. I had only just started to understand it, to know the commanders. I had to get out. I had to get back to Polis. To my people. To be the commander I needed to be.

“Madi! Madi!” Clarke kept calling after me.

“Get away from me! I’m going back,” I screamed back, I had to get back to Polis. I needed to be with my people. The urge was overwhelming.

“Oh no you’re not. Its fifty miles to Polis, now get down from there!” Clarke called, grabbing me and dragging me down the sand dune I was climbing. I groaned as we tumbled to the floor.

“Let go of me!” I shouted.

“Madi!” Clarke threatened and threw me to the floor. My eyes widened at her and her face dropped in despair. “I’m sorry are you okay?” she asked panicked. I softened my advances to make sure she knew I was ok but she reached for the flame again.

“I said no!” I shouted angrily. She was not getting this thing out of my head. I’d lose the commanders, I’d lose Lexa and Becca and Bria and the others I was only just beginning to learn.

“That thing is not staying in your head!” Clarke argued.

“Yes it is!” I argued back. I had so much to learn. “And if you want to take it you’re going to have to kill me

“Madi…” Clarkes tone of voice changed.

“What? You’re willing to let Bellamy die... and Indra and Gaia. Why not me?”

“Get in the rover” Clarke grabbed me, ignoring my question. “We are not doing this now”

“Let me go” I struggled, hitting Clarke, trying to make her stop. “Why are you doing this?” I asked as I managed to break free from Clarke. “I need to go back. _Commanders don’t run away_.” I echoed Bria.

“Well it’s a good thing you’re not a commander.” Clarke grabbed me yet again. I continued to struggle. “Damn it Madi. I thought the flame was supposed to make you wise, youre acting like the child who attacked me in the woods” She said exasperated.

“Octavia wont run away and because of you she’ll get her war” I reminded Clarke.

“wanna bet?” she asked.

“what are you going to do?” I asked her as she reached for the rover door. She began to explain her plan to me about meeting dyoza when she saw the worm eggs in the back of the rover.

“two problems solved, now get in the rover before I take you up on your ultimatum” She threatened as she threw the worms into the dust.

I had a feeling this wasn’t the end of Clarkes advances to take the Flame out of my head, but I would protect it. I was determined too.

I don’t know how long it was before I fell asleep again. Clarke and I sat in silence the whole ride.

I didn’t go back to the throne room. This time I was tied up. I was burning and screaming for them to let me go.

I woke to see Clarke above me.

“Clarke”

“Its okay youre safe” she said softly, comforting me in the back of the rover.

“They burned her alive” I told her in shock.

“Burned who honey?” Clarke asked confused.

“Becca pramheda I felt her. I was her.” I said in awe. When Becca said id see everyones deaths she didn’t just mean see, she meant experience and feel. I had another dozen to get through.

“That wasn’t a dream, it was a memory. Listen to me you don’t have to deal with this anymore. Cause I can just take out the flame” she reminded me.

“No. they’ll just put it back in , youd have to destroy it.” I told her. Clarke reached to hug me reassuring me with words but all I could think about was the next dozen dreams I was about to experience.

Sometime later I was on the sixth commanders death. This one wasn’t as violent as the others. It was a poison. It was like falling asleep but I still let out a whimper as the commander realised they weren’t going to be waking up from this.

“Hey shh we’re home” Clarkes voice soothed me as I woke.

“Clarke.” I responded seeing she had the collar in her hand, her fingers running over the sacred symbol. My hand flew to my neck and the wound was still closed. “you didn’t take it out” I said in relief. Clarke shook her head not able to answer me.

“Why?” I asked watching her face.

“Because I cant destroy it. You were crying in your sleep. Have you seen enough now to know you don’t want to see anymore?” she asked.

“Yes.” I said in return but that didn’t mean I wanted to take it out. I knew I had to go through this again to see the commanders, to be a better commander.

“Good” she said.

“But I have to. The other commanders want me to see it. To feel it. That’s how it works.” I explained and Clarke grabbed me.

“Let’s get one thing straight. You are my _child_ and I will protect you with my life. For now I’m letting you keep that thing in your head but if you so much as think about challenging Octavia I will take it out faster than you can say ascende-“ she threatened.

“Okay!” I exclaimed grabbing the back of my neck in fear.

“Good”

“Fine. So whats the plan?” I asked her.

“The plan is to stop the war, lets go find dyoza” she said grabbing our things from the rover and closing the back door. She paused. Turning to face me slowly. Emotions ive never seen before clouding her face. Was she finally going to ask me? Was she going to mention her name for the first time since I got the Flame?

“What?”

“Do you see her too?” My heart ached for Clarke as I gave a slight nod in response.

“I know it’s why you’re scared of me having the flame.” I said softly. I wanted to tell her so much more. I wanted to tell her all about the version of Lexa living in my head but Clarke bent down to my level. Her hand resting on my cheek in reassurance.

“Commanders die Madi. All of them. Badly. I won’t let that happen to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only wrote out the scenes from the episode i feel were important to the Flame's progress or any that mention Lexa. This is probably how I'll continue this story. Unless of course my entire theory is proven wrong in the next few episodes and i cant work it in anymore. Thanks for all the kudos and bookmarks!


End file.
